Bible Training Center
Section 12.0 – The Day Of The Lord
introduction & articles
INTRODUCTION
“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” (Joel 2:30-31)
Cutting Through the confusion
The Day of the Lord is surrounded with a great deal of speculation, much of which is either misleading or outright false. For example, it is pretty much settled theology that the Day of the Lord is directly tied to the second coming of Christ. An example of this is seen in the following quote from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.
The prophets not only view historical events as ushering in the day of the Lord’s visitation, but they look to an ultimate eschatological event. Even for Amos this will be a day of universal judgment (8:8-9; 9:5) when at last salvation and genuine hope will come to Israel: “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that has fallen … and rebuild it as in the days of old … I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel” (Amos 9:11-15; cf. Zeph.3:9-20). Therefore this day is both near and far, both historical and eschatological for Israel. It may be a divine visitation within history as well as a final visitation that climaxes history.
The NT maintains this futurist expectation consistently but adds that the second coming of Jesus Christ (or parousia) will hallmark the day of the Lord.
This view is but one of many. Some believe the Day of the Lord is tied to the Rapture while others associate it directly to the second coming of Christ. Of course, those who associate the Day of the Lord with the second coming place the timing according to their belief regarding the Tribulation, either pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib. Considering that there are many more ideas regarding the purpose and timing of the Day of the Lord, it is easy to understand why there is an extraordinary amount of confusion regarding this most important topic.
The problem with this situation is that the differing, and sometimes completely opposing, views cannot all be correct. Only one can be true since truth never contains differing views or contradictions. For example, suppose a teacher gives her twenty-five students a single math problem to solve as a test. If she looks at each student’s work and sees that there are
twenty-five different answers, she will immediately know that all of the answers cannot be correct since there is only one right answer. The teacher can correctly conclude that either just one of the students answered the problem correctly or none of them did.
This potpourri of opinions regarding the Day of the Lord creates a huge dilemma for those who want to know the truth: Which scenario do we choose? Do we pick the one that aligns with the doctrine of the church we attend? Or do we pick the one that sounds the most believable? The ones who are studious among us might try to study all of the doctrines out there, while others could organize a study group to discuss and evaluate the Day of the Lord. Finally, we could throw in the towel and humble ourselves and admit that in our own wisdom we cannot resolve this conflict and eliminate the confusion. From that position, we can do the thing believers are supposed to do … ask the Lord to provide illumination by way of the Holy Spirit, always remembering what Jesus taught:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:)
- Background
- Biblical Evidence
- The First Position: The Coming Of Elijah
- The Second Position: The Outpouring Of The Holy Spirit
- The Third Position: The Time Of The Day Of The Lord
- Concluding Comments
Section 12.0 - Articles
The Bible Training Center section of this site begins with fundamentals for sound Biblical understanding which is followed by a comprehensive study of Biblical Blood Covenant. The covenant study concludes with three articles on the Righteous Judgment of God and its role in God’s eternal covenant.
God has always dealt righteously with His people as well as all others. He doesn’t deal righteously with those who follow Him and unrighteously with those who do not.
The Day of the Lord is described in many ways by Biblical scholars. Some tie it directly to the Rapture while others link it to Christ’s second coming. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology describes the Day of the Lord, God or Christ as:
[The] expression, often in the context of future events, which refers to the time when God will intervene decisively for judgment and/or salvation. …
Not everyone is likely to agree with the above description, but I believe …
Our investigation of the purpose and timing of the Day of the Lord begins in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. The following discourse between Jesus and the disciples marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry.
Our investigation of the purpose and timing of the Day of the Lord begins in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew’sgospel. The following discourse between Jesus and the disciples marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry.